A Modern Christmas
by Sugarythought
Summary: Oneshot. Kagome invites Inuyasha to come home with her for Christmas.


"You will never defeat me!" An oversized and rather chubby looking salamander demon stood in front of a small tea house it had just demolished with its tail. Its skin was slick with slime. Before him stood and unusual group of individuals: a monk, a demon slayer, a half-demon, and a girl who wore strange clothing. A small fox demon peaked from around the side of nearby tree.

"Keh! That's my line!" Inuyasha cracked his knuckles in anticipation.

"Inuyasha!" said Kagome. "The jewel shard is in its chest!"

The demon stared at the girl in disbelief and instinctively put a clawed hand on its chest. "What… how could you know?!"

Inuyasha smirked and leapt into the air. He came down on the demon, his hand raised. "Sankon Tesso!"

The demon screeched as it was ripped apart. Inuyasha landed gracefully and shook the slime off of his hands. "Nasty scum."

Kagome knelt down and picked up a single shard of jewel lying in the demon's remains. "That's another one! I think we're up to seven shards now!"

The people who owned the tea house came out from their hiding spot. They knelt in front of the group in gratitude despite the fact that their home was no longer standing. "Thank you so much! How can we ever repay you? We would offer you a place to stay but…"

"Please." Miroku held up his hand. "The jewel shard is reward enough for us. We wish you all the best."

The group said their goodbyes and went on their way. They walked quietly for some time. The sky was overcast and a cool breeze swept up fallen leaves from the ground.

Inuyasha yawned loudly breaking the silence.

"We've been so busy lately," said Sango, as she adjusted the strap of her Hiraikotsu.

Miroku nodded. "I think we've earned a well-deserved break. Should we head back to the village?"

Kagome stopped suddenly. They all looked at her curiously. "When was the last time I went home?"

Inuyasha looked thoughtful. "Maybe a month ago."

"I need to go home." She ran a head of them.

After a moment's pause, they all raced after her. "Kagome!"

Inuyasha caught up with her in seconds. "What's with the rush?"

Kagome stopped and looked at him. "I'm pretty sure I'm about to miss Christmas."

"Huh?" Shippo leapt up on to her shoulder. "What's Christmas?"

Kagome sighed. "Of course you wouldn't know. Well it's a holiday celebrated all around the world in my time. Families get to spend time together when otherwise they might be too busy to! They give each other gifts and eat big dinners."

"That sounds like fun Kagome!" Shippo said excitedly.

"What is it that the people celebrate?" Miroku asked.

Kagome thought for a moment. "Well I suppose Christmas itself is a Christian holiday that has been adapted to fit all types of cultures. Essentially it's the celebration of the birth of a baby thousands of years ago."

Inuyasha stared at her. "You celebrate an ancient baby? What could a baby do? Is the baby a demon?"

"No…" Kagome said slowly. She thought of how abhorred people would be if they heard Inuyasha call baby Jesus a demon.

"It's also about someone called Santa Claus," Kagome said. "He's a fat, old man with a big white beard who dresses all in red. He delivers presents to all of the children in the world on Christmas night…"

"How could a fat man get all around the world in one night?" Inuyasha asked skeptically.

"Well," she began. "He has a sleigh that is driven by reindeer. One of them has a bright shiny nose!"

Kagome was getting lost in her imagination. "There are even songs about it! _Rudolph the red nosed reindeer… had a very shiny-_ "

She stopped when she noticed they were all staring at her with odd looks.

"What's a reindeer?" asked Shippo.

"It's like a horse…"

"Why does its nose glow?" asked Inuyasha.

Kagome scrunched up her face in thought. "I'm not sure really… it just does. It's what helped Santa get through a foggy night."

"Christmas sounds awfully strange Kagome," said Sango.

Kagome laughed awkwardly. "Well I'm just explaining it wrong. It's really quite fun."

"Hey Inuyasha," Shippo called, laughing. "You dress all in red! You could be Santa!"

Inuyasha hit Shippo in the back of the head. The small demon cried out. Inuyasha ignored his wails as he looked at Kagome. "Alright, you can go home for this _Christmas_ thing."

Kagome kicked a bit of dirt at her feet as she stared at the ground. "Well actually Inuyasha, I was hoping you'd like to come with me for Christmas."

" _What?_ " Inuyasha was taken aback.

Miroku nodded in agreement. "We really could use a break. We could stock up on supplies while you two are away."

"Yes, we can catch some fish from the river nearby and gather some medicinal herbs from Kaede," added Sango.

Inuyasha glared at Kagome. "How long will Christmas take?"

Kagome shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure what day it is but I think it's almost time so maybe a few days."

Inuyasha sighed. "Fine…"

It didn't take them long before they had reached the well, although Inuyasha attempted to delay them by taking a longer route than normal.

Kagome gave them all a hug goodbye and they leapt into the well with Inuyasha. They landed on the cold frosted ground of the well from Kagome's time. Kagome shivered in her school uniform.

"It's s-s-so c-c-cold!" She rubbed her arms. Inuyasha took off his fire rat coat and wrapped it around her.

"Come on then," he said. "Let's get inside!"

Inuyasha lifted her up and out of the well. He set her down as he opened the well house doors. The ground outside was covered in a thin layer of snow.

"Oh wow!" Kagome said excitedly. "It hasn't snowed here in years!"

"Let's go!" Inuyasha said as he strode barefoot into the snow.

Kagome nodded and followed. The snow was thicker than she thought. It crunched underneath her shoes. She smiled mischievously as she had an idea. She knelt down and scooped up a handful. Her hands were freezing as she rolled the snow into a small ball.

"Hey Inuyasha!" She called.

He turned around and SMACK! The snowball hit him square in the face. "What the hell?!"

Kagome keeled over with laughter. Her fit was cut short however, when a much larger ball of snow exploded as it hit on the top of her head. "Ow!"

Inuyasha turned and ran towards the house.

"SIT!"

Kagome opened the door to the house. "Hello everyone!" she called.

"Kagome!" Her mother, grandfather, and brother were all seated around the table.

"We're so happy you've made it home! Christmas is only a couple days away!" Kagome's mother stood up to hug her daughter. Inuyasha stomped inside the house. "And you've brought Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha glared at Kagome for a moment until he spotted the food on the table. He sat down beside Sota and began shoving food into his mouth.

Kagome's mother appeared to not notice. "You've come just in time! We are going to get a Christmas tree after dinner!"

Inuyasha stalled in his eating. His mouth was full of food as he looked at Kagome curiously, obviously seeking some clarification.

"We are going to chop down a tree, bring it here and decorate it!" Kagome said happily.

Inuyasha swallowed his food in one big gulp. "You're going to bring a tree inside your house?"

They all nodded.

"Christmas is so strange." Inuyasha said shaking his head.

When dinner was finished and cleaned up, they drove down to the local tree farm just outside of the city. Kagome's mother paid a fee and the group was given an axe and a map to an area they were permitted to cut down a tree.

Inuyasha walked a head of the others with Kagome close behind him. He had a toque over top of his head to hide his ears but he insisted on keeping his feet bare.

"I don't feel the cold like you," Inuyasha said when Kagome tried to protest. It wasn't whether or not he could handle the cold so much as how she would be able to handle the looks people would give him for being in the snow in bare feet.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Inuyasha asked as they passed more and more moderate sized pine trees. It was almost like they were back in Sengoku Jidai, walking through the forests.

"We need to find one that's full but not too big," Kagome said as she eyed the trees they passed. "This one looks good!"

"Nah, the needles are falling off of it. See…" Inuyasha grabbed the tree and shook it. A shower of needles fell to the ground.

They kept walking, weaving themselves further into the trees.

"Thank you for coming Inuyasha." Kagome said.

Inuyasha nodded curtly. "Are you cold?"

Kagome shook her head. She was dressed in a warm coat and pants. She had a thick knit scarf and headband covered her ears. She had mittens on but the cold seemed to seep through them. Her fingers were freezing. As if reading her mind, Inuyasha grabbed her hands and held them in his. His hands were very warm. She supposed he was right; the cold didn't seem to affect him at all.

The snow had begun to fall again. Kagome looked up at his face. The white flurries landed softly in his hair and on his eyelashes. He was gazing at her with a gentle expression. They stood in the moment for what seemed like an eternity.

"Hey Sis!" Inuyasha dropped her hands promptly as Sota came running around the corner. "We found one!"

"That's great Sota!" They followed him back through the trees. Kagome lagged a little behind. She rubbed her hands. They felt awfully cold and empty.

"This one?" She heard Inuyasha say skeptically. "Well okay."

"I'll get the axe!" Her little brother piped up.

"Keh! I don't need an axe!"

 _Oh no…_ Kagome thought. She ran towards them just in time to see Inuyasha pull Tessaiga from its sheath.

"Inuyasha no!"

She was too late. Inuyasha slammed his sword into the base of the tree. A powerful blast not only knocked down that tree but all the trees surrounding it. Inuyasha put Tessaiga away and picked up the tree. It was smoking from the impact. All of the needles that had once engulfed the tree lay scattered in burnt crisps on the ground, leaving nothing but a naked tree.

"Inuyasha!"

"It's perfect," said Kagome's mother, interrupting her. "Thank you Inuyasha."

Inuyasha shrugged in response. He lifted the remnants of the tree and followed Kagome's family back to the car. Kagome pulled her hood over her head as they passed other people on the tree farm. They were all trying to figure out the source of the blast. Kagome was mortified.

When they finally got the tree home and inside it looked worse than before. Kagome's mother didn't seem to see anything wrong with it as she pulled out her decorations and began instructing everyone on what to do. Inuyasha stood to the side of the tree ready to take the lights and tinsel as they were passed around the tree. He was surprisingly very good at decorating. Soon the tree began to look somewhat like a normal Christmas tree, aside from the lack of needles.

"So?"

Kagome snapped out of the daze she was in as Inuyasha stood beside her.

"Is this what a Christmas tree is supposed to look like?"

The tree sparkled before her. She smiled. "It looks beautiful."

Inuyasha looked at the tree and then at Kagome. He yawned.

Kagome's mother came in to the room. "Off to bed," she said to the two of them and her little brother. "Kagome, you and Inuyasha can do some of the shopping tomorrow."

"Come on Inuyasha!" Sota said excitedly. "You're sleeping in my room!"

The next morning, Kagome was awakened to Sota barging into her room.

"Sota!"

"Kagome! Inuyasha is chasing Buyo around the yard!"

Kagome sighed in frustration. She pulled the covers over her head and yelled, "Sit!"

She heard a curse from the yard. Moments later, another person stomped into her room.

"What the hell Kagome!" Inuyasha yelled. "And you! Why'd you go and rat me out?"

"You were annoying Buyo!"

Kagome leaped out of bed in anger. Her brother and Inuyasha stood in her doorway arguing.

"Get out!"

They both stared at her with expressions of shock and fear.

"Out!"

They ran from the room.

Kagome took a deep breath to try and calm down. She went into her bathroom to have a shower. She felt much better afterwards and began to regret yelling at Inuyasha and Sota. After all, she was going Christmas shopping today. How was she going to handle the shopping centers if she didn't have the patience for the two of them? She went looking for them and after some time, found them huddled in a corner of the kitchen.

"Uh, guys?" She called out. They jumped at her voice. Did she really make them that scared of her?

Inuyasha turned towards her. He was covered head to toe in flour. He had a plate in his hands. "We made you breakfast."

A smiling face looked up at her from the plate. It was pancakes with a smile made of bacon and two blueberries for eyes.

He shrugged. "Sota said it's going to be a busy day so you'll need your energy."

Kagome's heart melted as she took the plate from him. "Thank you."

Inuyasha once again wore the toque to cover his ears as he ventured down to the shopping center with Kagome. He wasn't sure what they were looking for so he let her take the lead. She stopped in nearly every store.

"What do you think we should get for everyone back in the other era?" she asked Inuyasha.

"Why do we need to get them anything? We'll just bring back ninja food."

Kagome shook her head. "No, it's Christmas. It's the season of giving!"

She had a determined look on her face that Inuyasha found a bit intimidating. She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

In the end, they found wax to give to Sango for her Hiraikotsu, a book of historic sutras for Miroku, cat nip for Kirara, and a box of joke toys for Shippo. After the mall, they went to the grocery store to grab the food her mother had asked her to buy. Inuyasha had nearly tackled an elderly woman to get the glazed ham that Kagome's mother had written on the shopping list. By the time they finally finished shopping, Inuyasha arms were full of bags and boxes.

They were on their way back to the shrine when Kagome heard someone call her from behind them.

"Kagome!"

"Higurashi!"

Kagome froze. _Oh no_ … She turned around and found Yuri and Hojo running towards her, waving.

Kagome tried to act normal while looking for a place to hide Inuyasha but it was too late. They would have seen him by now. "Hi guys…"

"Higurashi," Hojo began. He didn't seem to notice Inuyasha. "Are you feeling better? Your grandfather said you've been dealing with a horrible third degree sunburn!"

 _A sunburn?! In the middle of winter? Grandpa…_

"I brought you this." Hojo pulled a bottle of ointment from his pocket. "Just rub it on the spot gently and it should begin to clear up. If you need help, you could always call me and I can come over and do it for you!"

Kagome heard the boxes drop behind her.

"What did you say?" Inuyasha growled. He cracked his knuckles.

"Oh hello," said Hojo, oblivious to the threat. He stretched out his hand to Inuyasha. "I'm Hojo!"

Inuyasha stared at Hojo with a scowl.

"I think that's Kagome's controlling boyfriend," Yuri muttered to Hojo. Hojo went red and his hand dropped to his side.

Kagome glared at Yuri and cleared her throat. "Hojo, Yuri this is Inuyasha."

She turned and glared at Inuyasha. Through clenched teeth she said, "Inuyasha… these are my friends."

Inuyasha continued to scowl.

Kagome faked a smile as she looked back at her friends. "We're kind of in a hurry!"

She heard Inuyasha pick up the boxes again.

"Merry Christmas!" Kagome said as she turned to walk away. Hojo grabbed her arm. "Are you okay Kagome? Are you in any danger?"

"Keh! Danger!" Inuyasha laughed although his back was turned away from them.

Kagome felt her face boil. "No Hojo I'm not…" She tilted her head towards the half demon. "But I know someone who will be!"

She said her goodbyes and then walked calmly towards Inuyasha. He was staring at her, fearfully.

"Ka-kagome?"

"Sit!"

It turned out telling Inuyasha to sit while he was holding all of the groceries and presents wasn't a good idea. Jars broke and bags burst open. Kagome sighed. "Back to the store we go."

When they finally got home, Kagome was nearly ready for bed again. She hastily ate dinner and then went upstairs for a bath. The following day would be Christmas. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the water, letting the heat ease away the stress of the day.

Suddenly the door to the bathroom burst open. "Kagome!"

"Inuyasha!" She felt her face burn as she tried to move the bubbles in front of her to provide some coverage.

Inuyasha, obviously forgetting she was having a bath, looked away from her, his face going pink. "Can you help me?"

He held out his hand. A roll of tape was tangled in a mess around it. She couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not funny," he growled.

"Let me get dressed."

When she came out of the bathroom, Inuyasha was sitting on the floor. Kagome knelt down and got the tape off of Inuyasha's hand.

He pulled a small, roughly wrapped present from behind him. "This is for you."

"Inuyasha…"

He looked at her expectantly.

"Christmas isn't until tomorrow," she said.

"Who cares? Open it."

Kagome pulled back the wrapping paper. She gasped. Inside was a stunningly gorgeous woven bracelet. Threads of red and gold intertwined in an intricate, shimmering pattern. "It's beautiful."

"It was my mother's."

Kagome look up at him but he avoided her eyes. She slipped it on to her wrist. "Inuyasha?"

He glanced at her. She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. "Thank you."

She felt his arms wrap around her.

When Kagome woke up the next morning, she was surprised to find Inuyasha asleep on her floor. His face was so peaceful. She found herself entranced as she watched him sleep. She wondered what he was dreaming about.

"Inuyasha! Kagome!"

Inuyasha leapt up on his feet, Tessaiga drawn in his hand. Kagome fell off the side of her bed in shock.

"Hmm.. Kagome?" Inuyasha looked down at her. "What are you doing?"

Before Kagome could respond, Sota came bursting into the room. "There you are Inuyasha! It's Christmas!"

With that, Sota ran off down the stairs. Inuyasha lifted Kagome to her feet. "It's Christmas Kagome."

Kagome smiled and led the way downstairs. The morning went by in a whirl. Kagome's mother and grandfather had given her survival gear. A pop-up tent, a new sleeping bag, and a water purifier. Inuyasha received a basket full of ramen noodles and a pair of wooly socks.

"I'm not going to wear these," he said. They all laughed.

They ate a large brunch in lieu of Christmas dinner so that Kagome and Inuyasha could head back to the feudal era. Inuyasha carried Kagome's heavy bag of supplies, packed with his noodle cups.

"Merry Christmas!" Kagome yelled to her family from the well house as they waved goodbye to them.

Inuyasha was already on the ledge, he held his hand out for Kagome. "Ready?"

"Wait!" Kagome pulled out a present. "It's for you."

"For me?" Inuyasha took the gift and unwrapped it. Inside was a small watch wrapped in cloth. Inuyasha looked up at her.

"It was my father's." Kagome was staring at the ground. "It doesn't work anymore but it's one of the only things I have of his." She looked up. "I want you to have it."

Inuyasha didn't say anything. He drew her close to him and held her. He smelled the salty scent of tears and tightened his grasp. They stood together for a while before Kagome broke away. She took his hand. She looked at him.

"I'm ready," she said and they jumped into the well.

Inuyasha still held Kagome's hand as they walked back to the village from the well.

"Kagome?" he said. "Christmas was fun."

She smiled and was about to respond when a big fat man dressed in red walked up to them.

"It's Christmas!" the man said in a high pitched voice.

"Shippo…" said Inuyasha and Kagome together.

He popped back to his normal self. "Is that what Santa looks like Kagome?"

"Close enough," she said laughing.


End file.
